1. Field
The present application relates generally to wireless communications, and more specifically to systems, methods, and devices for allocating a wireless transmission medium between a first and a second wireless device.
2. Background
In many telecommunication systems, communications networks are used to exchange messages among several interacting spatially-separated devices. Networks may be classified according to geographic scope, which could be, for example, a metropolitan area, a local area, or a personal area. Such networks would be designated respectively as a wide area network (WAN), metropolitan area network (MAN), local area network (LAN), wireless local area network (WLAN), or personal area network (PAN). Networks also differ according to the switching/routing technique used to interconnect the various network nodes and devices (e.g. circuit switching vs. packet switching), the type of physical media employed for transmission (e.g. wired vs. wireless), and the set of communication protocols used (e.g. Internet protocol suite, SONET (Synchronous Optical Networking), Ethernet, etc.).
Wireless networks are often preferred when the network elements are mobile and thus have dynamic connectivity needs, or if the network architecture is formed in an ad hoc, rather than fixed, topology. Wireless networks employ intangible physical media in an unguided propagation mode using electromagnetic waves in the radio, microwave, infra-red, optical, etc. frequency bands. Wireless networks advantageously facilitate user mobility and rapid field deployment when compared to fixed wired networks.
A transmission medium in a wireless network may have a limited capacity. The transmission medium capacity may be allocated to nodes of the wireless network using a variety of protocols or methods. In some instances, a portion of the medium's transmission capacity may be allocated to a wireless node, but may be in excess of the transmission capacity needed by the node at a particular time. This may result in some portions of the medium's transmission capacity being unused. Thus, improved systems, methods, and devices for allocating transmission capacity in a wireless network are desired.